Great Blakenham incinerator starts to produce electricity

Work building the incinerator and electricity generator at Great Blakenham began in 2012

A new £180m waste incineration plant in Suffolk has begun generating electricity.

Suffolk County Council commissioned the plant in Great Blakenham to burn the county's non-recyclable household rubbish.

Sita UK, which will run the site for 25 years, said testing had now been finished.

The firm said it will produce electricity for 30,000 homes and supply heat for a tomato greenhouse project.

Sita said the plant has created 47 new jobs.

Sterling Suffolk has been given planning permission to build two greenhouses covering 50 acres (20 hectares) and it plans to grow 7,500 tonnes of tomatoes a year.

Paul Leighton, plant manager for Sita, said: "After nearly three years of construction and comprehensive testing to make sure everything works as it should, we are really proud to have delivered this project on time, on budget and with an excellent health and safety record."

Suffolk County Council said it was in talks with Norfolk County Council about incinerating some of its waste after a plan to build a similar waste plant near King's Lynn collapsed earlier this year.